Estonia

   

Environmental Policies

#11
Key Findings
With a generally strong record in recent years, Estonia receives high rankings in international comparison (rank 11) with regard to environmental policies. Its score in this area is unchanged relative to its 2014 level.

By 2030, the country aims to reach a 50% renewables share for total energy consumed, and an 80% share for heat energy. An effort to increase building energy efficiency is underway, with new buildings required to meet a near zero-energy standard. By 2050, the country seeks to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80% compared to 1990.

Water pollution has decreased in recent years thanks to renovation of the water infrastructure. Deforestation rates have gathered pace in recent years. Waste recycling is a weak point. Road construction and increasing traffic pose a serious risk to biodiversity.

The country has swung to support EU energy and climate goals, and is negotiating a national plan. It contributed €1 million in 2021 to help least developed countries adapt to climate change.

Environment

#10

How effectively does environmental policy in your country protect and preserve the sustainability of natural resources and environmental quality?

10
 9

Environmental policy goals are ambitious and effectively implemented as well as monitored within and across most relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
 8
 7
 6


Environmental policy goals are mainly ambitious and effectively implemented and are monitored within and across some of the relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
 5
 4
 3


Environmental policy goals are neither particularly ambitious nor are they effectively implemented and coordinated across relevant policy sectors.
 2
 1

Environmental concerns have been largely abandoned.
Environmental Policy
7
The Ministry of Environment manages an integrated system of environmental protection, which covers the entire country, and ensures the preservation of the environment and sustainable use of natural resources. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication is responsible for the energy sector and efforts to address climate change. Currently, Estonia is negotiating the national plan for the EU climate Fit for 55 package, which revises or expands the previous climate targets. The next national development plan for the energy sector, which will run until 2030, was approved in October 2017. It aims to increase the proportion of total energy consumed supplied by renewable energy sources to 50%, generate 80% of heat energy from renewable sources and limit vehicular fuel consumption to 2012 levels by 2030. Various efforts to increase the energy efficiency of buildings are already being implemented, with further measures planned (e.g., new buildings must conform to a near zero-energy standard).

Estonia needs to improve the collection of packaging waste and increase the recycling of bio-waste, as the country is struggling to achieve the 50% target for recycling and preparing for reuse of municipal waste set out in the EU Waste Framework Directive. The targets for municipal waste recycling will be increased (55% by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035), and the implementation strategy includes awareness-raising as well as an increase in the prices for unsorted waste.

Estonia has invested significantly in renovation and water infrastructure. As a result, water pollution has decreased and the quality of tap water has improved. However, most of the country’s lakes and rivers are very small, and therefore highly sensitive to any pollution whatsoever. More than half of Estonia’s territory is forested. Commercial forests account for 75% of all forest area, while the remaining 25% has been placed under various protection regimes. Yet, deforestation has been gathering pace in recent years – the country lost 18% of tree cover between 2000 and 2020, half of it in the last five years of the period (Global Forest Watch). Citizens are sensitive to the issue and there is significant public demand for more responsible forest management.

Finally, Estonia has a rich biological diversity, being home to a wide variety of wildlife species. To keep the population of its main species stable, the government regulates hunting through licensing and limits. One of the main risks for biodiversity is increasing traffic and road construction, though the newest roads have been constructed in accordance with environmental protection regulations. Strong emphasis has been put on environmental concerns in the process of planning the route for the Rail Baltic high-speed railway.

Citations:
Global Forest Watch, https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/EST/, accessed 22.02.2022.

Global Environmental Protection

#11

To what extent does the government actively contribute to the design and advancement of global environmental protection regimes?

10
 9

The government actively contributes to international efforts to design and advance global environmental protection regimes. In most cases, it demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, contributes to their being advanced and has introduced appropriate reforms.
 8
 7
 6


The government contributes to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes. It demonstrates commitment to existing regimes and occasionally contributes to their being advanced and/or has introduced some appropriate reforms.
 5
 4
 3


The government demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, but does not contribute to their being advanced and has not introduced appropriate reforms.
 2
 1

The government does not contribute to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes.
Global Environmental Policy
7
Estonia has joined most important global and European agreements, and displayed its commitment to these international agreements and targets. Estonia has ratified the Paris Agreement, and is taking steps to switch to more environmentally sustainable economic and behavioral models. Estonia agreed to the EU energy and climate goals for 2030, and is negotiating a national plan of the Fit for 55 package. By 2050, Estonia aims to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80% compared to 1990. In 2021, it was announced that the country will phase out the production of electricity from oil shale, which carries a big carbon footprint, by 2030. Its share in electricity production has already drastically decreased in recent years, from 86% in 2013 to 40% in 2020 (Truuts & Pukk 2021).

Estonia actively participated in the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow and co-organized several side events. The Estonian government occasionally contributes to the global fight against climate change by supporting the export of green technologies to developing countries. To support countries most at risk from climate change, Estonia contributed €1 million in 2021 to the Global Environment Facility hosted Least Developed Countries Fund.

A global bottom-up civil society movement, World Cleanup Day, was born in Estonia and has become one of the largest contemporary civil society movements worldwide. In 2019, 180 countries and 20 million people came together to rid the planet of trash – cleaning up litter and mismanaged waste from beaches, rivers, forests and streets.

Citations:
https://www.worldcleanupday.org/about/
Ministry of Environment 2021. https://envir.ee/en/COP26EE (accessed 03.01.2021)

Truuts, Helle & Pukk, Piret (2021), Elektri tootmine taasiseseisvunud Eestis – põlevkivist taastuvenergiani. Statistikaamet. https://www.stat.ee/et/uudised/elektri-tootmine-taasiseseisvunud-eestis-polevkivist-taastuvenergiani
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